


Episode Ficlets

by orphan_account



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Episode Related, Gen, more characters will be tagged as I update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-09 22:52:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10423596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A collection of (canon-compliant) short stories based on each episode of Steven Universe.





	1. Gem Glow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You had an interesting day at work today...

It was your second month being a cashier at Beach City's Food 'n Stuff. Well, it’s been a month and a week, but who was counting?

You. You were counting.

(It _was_ supposed to be only a summer job, and you firmly intended on keeping it that way.)

Though, in those thirty eight days, you thought you’ve been through quite a bit. The occasional rude person that refused to understand what a line is, customers that told the exact same joke that you’ve heard three times in the past two days (Yes, you still have to pay for those Chaaaaps if they don’t scan right away, and no, you aren’t being funny), and one… eccentric teen that insisted on buying every single clove of garlic in the store so that he could “combat the vampire menace that is threatening Beach City.” Then, just to add onto your already extensive list of strange things that happened in a grocery store, those ladies showed up. 

They looked like something straight out of DelmarvaCon. One person was lanky and tall—though definitely not as tall as the square afro lady—with skin that was impossibly white and some sort of orb on her forehead. Another had purple (you swore you weren’t making this stuff up!) skin with a similarly colored rock on her chest. 

They walked into the store and immediately made their way to the freezer section. You gave a quick glance and a raised eyebrow to your coworker, who was busy bagging the items you had scanned moments before, but they just shrugged in response. Okay, maybe they were just regular people who frequently visited the store… while in cosplay. You shrugged and returned your focus to your work.

Ten minutes had passed and you just about forgotten about the strange ladies, when out of the corner of your eye you spotted the purple lady speeding towards the door. There were dozens of pink packets icecream sandwiches stacked in her arms. The square afro lady followed her at a brisk pace. Then, there was a shout of “Amethyst!” and the thin lady appeared from in between the isles, chasing after the duo. 

They had left the store, and you were about to run after them (they stole, like, fifty dollars worth of ice cream!), when the thin lady returned. She took a glance around the store, before her gaze settled on the registers, where you were currently standing.

Oh God, was she going to come over here? Yup, yup, she was walking over here.

She entered your isle and looked at you. Flatly, she said, “This should cover your expenses.” She then reached up to her forehead (???) and with a flash of light, pulled out what looked to be a fistful of silver coins. You wordlessly held out your hand and accepted the currency. She gave a curt nod, then walked out of the store, presumably to catch up with her friends.

You looked down at the pile of coins in your hands. You picked up one coin and examined it closer. Was that Greek? 

You weren’t sure these were even considered legal tender… But, you know what? It was late in your shift, and you didn’t want to deal with this, so you simply put the coins into your register and waited for your next customer.


	2. Laser Light Cannon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg doesn't recall a time when Rose gave him her laser light cannon.

Greg wasn’t sure how the light cannon ended up in his storage shed after all those years.

When his son had asked about it, he doubted that he had it. He never remembered Rose giving him any sort of cannon, and even if he did end up having it at some point, he doubted that the Gems would have let him hold onto it for more than a day. But since the Gems obviously didn’t know where the light cannon was, and the fate of the city rested on finding that cannon, he quickly decided they could spare a trip to the one place he thought it could be: the storage units. 

Steven had gone into the mess of a storage shed well prepared, while Greg stayed behind and held onto the extension cord. His son mentioned golf clubs, a tee-shirt cannon, and even an old photo of him and Rose, as he made his way through the “dad museum,” as he had called it. Greg had expected for all those things to be in there, but he was shocked when Steven called out to him and said he found the cannon. Sure, Rose could have given it to him one day very nonchalantly, and he had simply forgotten about it, but a literal _cannon_ seemed like an odd thing to overlook. 

They made quick work of pulling it out of the shed… along with all of his other possessions, but that was a problem for another day. 

After the eyeball-thing landed in chunks all around Beach City, and they were safe, Greg could only focus on the night sky, staring at the spot where Rose’s figure was moments ago. He never expected to see her again, except in the few photos and paintings he had, and the sight of her—even as a magical ray of light—made his eyes burn with tears. She was as beautiful as she had ever been. Though, he wasn't able to reminisce for long, soon having to save his precious van from the ocean waves.

Greg never did remember how he had gotten his hands on the light cannon, but he couldn't really complain, could he?


	3. Cheeseburger Backpack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime tells Barb that he's going to Kansas to become an actor.

Being an actor had always been a childhood dream of Jaime’s, even though it had been momentarily forgotten in the whirlwind of real life. It wasn’t until a few months ago, when he visited Charm City to see a play, that his dream was rekindled. He made a few plans some time after that. Bus tickets, apartment leases, a few acting lessons that went over well. Then, he secured a few spots in auditions for up-and-coming roles in various movies, plays, and even a musical. He had everything ready for his big move to Kansas to become an actor, now he just had to quit his mail job.

After going about his daily route, Jaime went back to the post office. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the post office. 

“Jaime!” Barb’s booming voice said as soon as he stepped into the employee room, “How was your mail route?” She was by the shelves, sorting letters into various slots. Jaime hung up his bag and hat on the coat racks by the door, then made his way over to her.

“Oh, it was fine,” he said, trying to hide his nervousness. Why was he so anxious? Actors don’t get this nervous talking to their boss, they don’t get nervous at all! They step on stage ready to take on the world, and if he was going to be an actor, he’d have to be ready too.

“Did you collect signatures this time?” She asked with a hint of a smile. He had been forgetting to get signatures from people lately, but it wasn’t entirely his fault. Sometimes, people would just slam the door on his face after he handed them his package. 

But most of the time, he just forgot. 

“In fact, I did!” He took out his signature pad and showed it to her, scrolling all the way down until Steven’s was shown. 

She chuckled when she saw the digital stars floating around the boy’s name, then said, “There ya’ go. Don’t want upper management breathing down our necks, y’know?” 

He nodded, and Barb went back to her sorting. An awkward silence filled the air as Jaime fiddled with the hat in his hands. He wasn’t quite sure how to tell her about him quitting. Would she be upset? Angry? Should he have just sent an email, or left a note on her desk? That would have definitely been the easier option, but something told him this was the better way. 

“So uh, Barbara,” he started, breaking the silence. “I—”

“Barb’s fine, you know that.” Barb interrupted, waving a hand at him. 

“Right." He paused for a moment before continuing, "I just wanted to give you my two week notice.” 

She finished placing an envelope into a slot, then turned to look at Jaime. “Yeah?” 

He nodded. “I’m going to Kansas, to become an actor, actually. I’ve been taking a few classes, plus it’s always been a childhood dream of mine to be on stage, to experience the thrill of the theater.” He got more confident as he went on. 

“That’s great! We’ll always miss you here on the force, but it’s good to go and achieve your dreams!” Oh. Why had he been so worried? It’s not like she’s ever been anything but supportive to him, even if she did yell at him about the signatures, but that was more about their jobs than anything personal. He had been worrying about nothing, he saw that now. 

“Thanks, Barb.” He glanced at the door. “I’m going to clock out now, if that’s alright.” 

“Go ahead, and I know you’ll be here tomorrow for me to tell you this, but have fun in Kansas, ya’ hear? Be the best dang actor you can be.” Barb gave him a smile.

They said their goodbyes, and he left the post office. He took the long way home that day, enjoying the scenery of the beach. 

He was going to Kansas, and he was going to be an actor! He got giddy at the thought and couldn’t help but flail his arms a bit as he walked down the shoreline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know how it works out in the end, but I bet he was so excited to go to Kansas. At least he's got community theater!


	4. Together Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg made sure that Steven was able to cook for himself before going to live with the Gems.

Before Steven went to live with the Gems, Greg made sure to outfit him with all the skills a kid needed to know to survive. Dialing a phone, getting dressed by himself, and mainly, cooking a meal (or at least some food to resemble a meal.)

It wasn’t so much that Greg didn’t trust the Gems to care for him, but he knew that they could be gone for some time on missions, and Greg was a bit apprehensive about their knowledge on taking care of human people. Especially food. Pearl was repulsed by the very act of eating, and Amethyst’s idea of food was anything that could fit in her mouth, edible or not. 

The very first thing Steven made (that didn’t turn out as a total disaster) were home-made french fries. The cuts were uneven, and so was the done-ness of the fries, but they were still fairly decent. Though, they both decided that the shop on the boardwalk had better fries. (It was also way easier to buy your own fries than make them, they quickly realized.) 

By the time it was time for Steven to start living with the magical ladies down the street, he was competent in cooking for himself. His favorite thing to make were waffles. Maybe it was the memories of sitting in the van on a rainy day, making waffle and egg sandwiches with his dad, but there was something comforting about waffles piled high with syrup, and if he was feeling fancy, whipped cream, waffles, and popcorn. 

He often felt fancy.


	5. Frybo

Pearl remembered the first time Gem shards were used during the Rebellion. They had been amazed that a Gem could have such strong awareness while shattered. It was almost horrifying to think that the one thing that could end a Gem wasn’t death at all, just another state of being. They found that, when placed in suits of armor, the shards were adapt warriors, capable of fighting in battle. This soon became their saving grace. 

The first few battles were won gloriously; Losses were minimal, and it looked as if the Rebellion would have a chance against the terrifying forces of Homeworld. Rose Quartz had disapproved of the use of the warriors, claiming it morally wrong, but commanders still employed them in their battles. If they could help the Crystal Gems win the war, then what was the harm? 

Then there was the incident.

No one was sure how it started, or what exactly had happened, but the next thing Pearl knew was that a whole platoon of Gems were shattered and several more lost their physical forms. The scuffle lasted a mere few minutes, and the shards were quickly bubbled after and never spoken of again.

So when Pearl realized that morning that a shard was missing from her bubble, she knew she had to find it, quickly. All hell would break loose if she didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im not really sure i like how this one turned out, but i cant keep sitting on it, so i just posted it anyway.


End file.
